Neighborhood Ministries treats its high schoolers like people, not like cows. And that’s a big part of what sets it apart from many teen programs.

Like most teen ministries, the Wednesday Night program at NM wrestles a continual tension. On the one hand, some kids have been involved for years, and are eager and ready for serious Christian leadership development. On the other hand, other teens lack that maturity or are relative newcomers to NM, just getting their feet wet in understanding about Jesus. To deal with that diversity, says program director Ian Danley, “we’re trying to allow youth to make their own decisions, select their own space.” Ian worries that too often urban ministries try to persuade youth to be in a leadership development track whether or not that is something the teen really wants. “It’s a choice that’s sort of pushed onto them,” he says. “Ours is a different mentality than that of ‘forcing all the cattle through the system,’ one by one. We don’t want to say, ‘This is the path, this is the journey that you all will take.’”

On any given Wednesday Night, 75 to 100 high schoolers are on campus. The evening begins with a large group program—some teaching, some comic relief, and some food. (Actually, a lot of food.) After that first 45 minutes or so, students select their own paths. Some may launch a pick-up basketball game. Others may head to a nearby coffee house to chew the fat with each other and their leaders. And some stick around for classes and activities that deepen their walk with Jesus. Last year, Nikki Villegas, who’s been volunteering with the program for five years, led a journaling class. She brought a couch and chair into one of the classrooms, decorated the room a little bit, lit some candles, played soft music, and turned the lights down. She passed out a bunch of journals and collaging materials and invited her students to talk and write about a key question each week. Ian says, “One question I remember, was: “How is something in your life painful but you can see God using it already?” That kind of query sets the stage for healthy introspection and deep sharing. Next door Jeremy Woods, Irene Thomas, and Marcos Marquez taught a class on Sex, Love, and Relationships. Next semester, Ian says, teens will be able to participate in the Jobs for Life job readiness class and perhaps an arts class.

This “pick your own path” approach to youth ministry has not led, as some might fear, to a dearth of maturing young leaders. In fact, currently 20 kids from Wednesday nights are serving as Summer Interns. There’s a huge emphasis on leadership development. “We’ve set up a culture that says ‘young people are capable people, they are able to participate and contribute,’” Ian explains. Younger teens watch older ones serve as summer work crew members and interns. “Many of our leaders have looked forward to the opportunity for awhile, because they’ve seen others come before, and are now saying, ‘I know I can do it, too,’” Ian reports.

Parents are enthusiastic about the positive influence NM’s teen program has on their kids. “What I love most about my kids being in the High School group is that they aren’t out running around the city getting into trouble,” says Sandra Talamantes, whose sons are regulars on Wednesday nights. “They’re getting guidance on dealing with the pressures of becoming adults, they are taught high moral values, and they’re being prepared for life, making friends that will hopefully last a lifetime.” She also sees the spiritual impact of the program. Through NM, she says, her children now know their Savior and that “He is always with them.”

Alicia Solano has been active on Wednesday Nights throughout her time at South Mountain High School, from which she just graduated this year. “We had the best group, I can say that for sure,” Alicia brags. “Because we actually talk about important things and don’t just goof around.” She adds, “We have serious talks about God and our problems, our families. We’re able to understand each other, you know, and be there for each other.” She and her friends participated in the collaging class and reports it’s been healing. “We would collage sometimes with Nikki about different subjects, like about pain or suffering, and [then] you can explain what you collage—how that feels in your life.” Alicia and other teens engaged on Wednesday Nights often give back to the ministry by serving as work crew members for Kids’ Club. She’s grown close to a little girl named Prisma and hopes to serve as Prisma’s mentor this fall, balancing that with possible college studies at ASU.

NM’s staff says the key to building young leaders like Alicia is relationships. Many adult volunteers have poured into NM’s youth for years. Because of the time they invest, they can see potential in these urban teens that others—teachers, even parents—can sometimes miss. “And as we spend time with the youth, we see how capable they really are,” says one staff member.

NM also takes chances on kids, promoting to leadership some youth who may be “on the edge” in terms of their maturity and readiness for responsibility. According to Ian, the risks have paid off. “Very rarely do we say, ‘Man, we wish we hadn’t given them a chance.’ Usually we’ll say, ‘We’re so glad we took a chance on that person because they succeeded so well, beyond our imaginations.’”

(Excerpt from The Relentless Pursuit by Amy Sherman)